Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
Smooth and finish surfaces of poured concrete, such as floors, walks, sidewalks, roads, or curbs using a variety of hand and power tools. Align forms for sidewalks, curbs, or gutters; patch voids; and use saws to cut expansion joints.
Most important skills
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Coordination
- Quality Control Analysis
- Time Management
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
Key knowledge
- English Language
- Building and Construction
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
- Mechanical
- Administration and Management
- Transportation
- Customer and Personal Service
What the work involves
- Check the forms that hold the concrete to see that they are properly constructed.
- Set the forms that hold concrete to the desired pitch and depth, and align them.
- Spread, level, and smooth concrete, using rake, shovel, hand or power trowel, hand or power screed, and float.
- Mold expansion joints and edges, using edging tools, jointers, and straightedge.
- Monitor how the wind, heat, or cold affect the curing of the concrete throughout the entire process.
- Signal truck driver to position truck to facilitate pouring concrete, and move chute to direct concrete on forms.
- Produce rough concrete surface, using broom.
- Operate power vibrator to compact concrete.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Less than a High School Diploma (51.7% of respondents)
- Related experience
- None (25.6%)
- On-the-job training
- Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (28.8%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 78% of occupations compared | 59% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Low | Lower on dealing with the public than 76% of occupations compared | 40% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly important” |
| Teamwork | Moderate | Higher on teamwork than 52% of occupations compared | 64% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 92% of occupations compared | 32% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Moderate | Lower on time pressure than 57% of occupations compared | 52% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very high | Higher on conflict situations than 86% of occupations compared | 30% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very high | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 80% of occupations compared | 33% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 71% of occupations compared | 44% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: moderate
- Conflict situations: very high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 17.53%
- Occasional contact with others: 4.97%
- Contact with others about half the time: 1.39%
- Contact with others most of the time: 16.73%
- Constant contact with others: 59.38%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2018
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 12.78%
- Fairly important: 39.85%
- Important: 13.92%
- Very important: 32.06%
- Extremely important: 1.39%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2018
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 15.34%
- Important: 1.39%
- Very important: 19.4%
- Extremely important: 63.87%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2018
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 15.91%
- Very little freedom: 11.81%
- Limited freedom: 16.41%
- Some freedom: 32.16%
- A lot of freedom: 23.71%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2018
Time pressure
- Never: 17.53%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 2.78%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 16.72%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 10.62%
- Every day: 52.34%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2018
Conflict situations
- Never: 12.78%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 7.15%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 22.57%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 29.91%
- Every day: 27.59%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2018
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 11.39%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 17.53%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 18.6%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 19.3%
- Every day: 33.17%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2018
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 18.41%
- Fairly serious: 14.2%
- Serious: 12.24%
- Very serious: 11.47%
- Extremely serious: 43.68%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2018
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O*NET-SOC 47-2051.00 · SOC 47-2051 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8